seed-potato &laquo; WordPress.com Tag Feedhttps://en.wordpress.com/tag/seed-potato/
Feed of posts on WordPress.com tagged "seed-potato"Sat, 10 Dec 2016 01:04:27 +0000https://en.wordpress.com/tags/enhttps://thewisconsinvegetablegardener.com/2016/03/18/what-to-do-with-long-potato-eye-sprouts-on-seed-potatoes-garden-tip/
Sat, 19 Mar 2016 04:51:10 +0000The Wisconsin Vegetable Gardenerhttps://thewisconsinvegetablegardener.com/2016/03/18/what-to-do-with-long-potato-eye-sprouts-on-seed-potatoes-garden-tip/https://thewisconsinvegetablegardener.com/2016/03/02/sprouting-potatoes-quick-tip/
Thu, 03 Mar 2016 03:54:30 +0000The Wisconsin Vegetable Gardenerhttps://thewisconsinvegetablegardener.com/2016/03/02/sprouting-potatoes-quick-tip/https://theavidgardener6.wordpress.com/2015/01/17/easy-potatoes-give-it-a-try/
Sat, 17 Jan 2015 15:30:16 +0000The Avid Gardenerhttps://theavidgardener6.wordpress.com/2015/01/17/easy-potatoes-give-it-a-try/If there is one thing any garden enthusiast should have a go at, it should be growing some potatoes. They are easy to grow and can be grown in open soil, containers and even Ikea bags! If you have very limited space then growing them in some sort of container is ideal for you. You may not get huge amounts planted but with an average of about 8-10 potatoes per seed potato, even just 5 seed potatoes should yield a crop around 40 potatoes! That should keep you going for a while!

If growing them in open soil, then soil preparation should be underway at this time of the year. A good digging over with a well rotted manure prior to planting will ensure there is all the nutritional value in the soil for the best start to the growing season. Take care not to add too much manure as the soil may become too rich then. At this stage of the game you could have taken a trip down to your local Garden Centre to make a choice of which seed potatoes you may be interested in growing. It can be a bit confusing with all the choice and different types, so I hope I can make it easy by describing it as simply as I can:There are three groups, namely first earlies which take between 8 – 12 weeks to mature; second earlies which take between 12 – 15 weeks to mature and lastly, main crop which can take between 15 – 20 weeks to mature. The choice of potato is governed by the use thereof and if roasting is your main method of cooking, then a potato ideal for roasting would be the best choice for you.

Once your choice has been made, then take them home to begin the ‘chitting’ process. It requires looking at which end of each potato has the most eyes (indents) and placing the potatoes in egg cartons with this side facing upwards. This process is not crucial, but does give you a bit of a head start and allows you to pick off weaker shoots so that you get less, but stronger shoots producing a slightly higher yield. Place them in a well lit area away from direct sunlight and wait for the shoots to grow to about an inch.
Once ready for planting, you will need to create trenches approximately 6-8 inches deep in rows, keeping in mind that they are planted about 1ft between potatoes and about 1.5ft between rows.The row direction is best running from north to south, if possible, as this ensures the potatoes foliage gets sun from both sides in the row.
Place some organic potato fertilizer at the base of the trench and mix it in well with the soil. You are then ready to place all your seed potatoes in their rows. Once placed, cover them up with the soil so the trenches are filled. Water regularly, but allow them to dry out between waterings.
Once the shoots have emerged from the ground, wait until they are about 4 inches and then ‘earth’ them up by taking the soil around the shoots and pushing it up against the stem to cover it. This is done for two reasons: to increase the yield and also to ensure that the potatoes are deeper beneath the surface and not exposed to sunlight rendering them inedible when turning green.No more feeding is required during the growing process, as this has been done prior to planting and at planting stage too.
Once the plants begin to flower, it is the indication that the tubers are beginning to swell and the first potatoes can be lifted once the flowers begin to fade. It is advisable to wait until the foliage begins to turn brown and progressively lift them over time. This is so exciting and the most rewarding part of the growing experience, as the potatoes are like hidden treasure that you have to dig up. Care must be taken not to damage them as you are lifting them. Best practice is to take some plants out and leave the remainder to mature in the soil.
Get the children involved as it is important for them to see where their food come from and they will better appreciate the effort gone into producing the food on their plate.

It’s easy, so give it a try…

Happy gardening!

]]>https://thenewfamilyfarm.wordpress.com/2015/01/06/combating-the-aerial-threat-in-seed-potatoes-potato-virus-y/
Tue, 06 Jan 2015 17:21:48 +0000newfamilyfarmhttps://thenewfamilyfarm.wordpress.com/2015/01/06/combating-the-aerial-threat-in-seed-potatoes-potato-virus-y/
Potato virus Y (PVY) is a serious threat to the seed potato industry—it is a widespread disease with many different host plants that is spread to potatoes by aphids. Since seed tubers must be virtually virus-free and pass multiple tests in order to meet the stringent standards needed by commercial growers to produce the high quality tubers demanded by consumers, keeping seed tubers free from viruses presents an enormous challenge to seed growers.

PVY is carried on the tips of the aphid’s needle-like mouthparts (the rostrum) and can be picked up and transmitted during feeding probes, which last only seconds! Because of this, it is extremely challenging to combat this problem using conventional insecticides. Research has been conducted using mineral oils sprayed on leaf surfaces to disrupt probing and reduce virus spread, but this needs to be timed correctly since plants will suffocate if they are always covered with oil.

To effectively manage PVY spread, it is important to know two things 1) which aphids can spread the virus AND 2) when they are most likely to be found in seed potato fields. Since there are many different aphid species that infest a wide variety of plants, it is essential to accurately identify species that both feed on potatoes and can transmit PVY. Understanding how aphid populations move is also important. Typically, aphids build up in large numbers on plants, and when the population becomes too crowded, winged individuals are produced. These winged aphids (which can number in the billions) can then fly or be carried with the wind many miles to seek new food sources. Many of these dispersal flights originate in southern and central areas of WI where PVY is present in many different host plants and the virus can easily end up in the isolated northern counties where seed potatoes are grown.

To track dispersal flights of a typical aphid species, such as the soybean aphid that may impact many crops, including potato, a multi-state trap network has been established throughout the Midwest to monitor its occurrence in both potato and soybean fields (see next week’s New Family Farms release for the full soybean aphid story of how 3 invasive species have combined to produce serious pest threats in 3 different ecosystems). So far, 50 aphid species have been identified that transmit PVY from plant to plant, although the level of efficiency varies between species. Some aphids, such as the green peach aphid can reach 50% efficiency, while others, such as aphids from soybean, corn and grains, are far less efficient. It is important to understand that both can be equal threats when high populations occur.

In my research, I determine the diversity of winged aphids that are present in potato production areas of Wisconsin and diagnose when these flights regularly occur. During the 2010 and 2011 field seasons, I monitored winged aphids in three major potato growing areas of Wisconsin (covering commercial production in central and southwest counties and seed in northeastern Langlade County). Almost 5,000 winged aphids were collected and identified over this two-year period. Specie diversity varied greatly among these regions, and different aphid species were collected at different times. Since we know how efficient most species are in transmitting PVV, this research will provide seed potato growers with valuable information on the potential risk of PVY spread. Ultimately, this will enable seed growers to develop more effective protocols for controlling the virus with carefully-targeted oil sprays to disrupt probing and guarantee a continuing supply of high-quality, disease-free tubers for table stock growers. For more information contact: Natalie Hernandez (nmhernandez13@gmail.com) or Dr. Russ Groves (groves@entomology.wisc.edu).

It’s July in northeast Wisconsin. The air is fresh, the birds are chirping, and the potato fields on the isolated seed potato farm in Langlade County are a healthy green. This is a highly-specialized farm where precious disease-free tubers from the state’s elite seed farm are carefully nursed to supply the diverse requirements of commercial growers. Everything on the seed farm seems to be going well this year, and even the eagle-eyed inspectors have not found any evidence of disease. The farmer looks up at the bluebird sky and smiles at the promise of a warm summer day, unaware that a silent enemy may be approaching. In swirls and currents of air coming from the south, a scattering of feather-light insects is alighting unseen on the edges of his fields. They are anxious to insert their needle-sharp mouthparts into the leaves and begin feeding. These are aphids, which act as unwitting flying hypodermics, quietly moving from one plant to the next, sampling the sap they need to live. These harmless creatures are from southern growing areas where a myriad of crops exist that can potentially infect them with any number of virus diseases that they can carry to potatoes. Unlike the July sky, the enemy the aphids carry promises trouble.

Hijackers, tricksters and deceitful agents, plant viruses are some of the most devious and threatening enemies of seed potato growers in North America. They are the number one cause of seed lots failing to meet the standards necessary to wear the Wisconsin Certified Seed label. How do they do it, you ask? Scientists have studied potato viruses for decades. They are very small micro-organisms that can enter plant cells with the aid of vectors, such as the aphids, but are incapable of multiplying without the help of the potato host’s resources. Once inside a cell, virus particles use different strategies to hijack the cell’s resources to make more copies of themselves. Plants, like humans and other organisms, have defense systems that will recognize the presence of an enemy and try to stop its attack. But some viruses, like Potato virus Y, counterattack by turning off, or ‘silencing’ the plant’s defenses, allowing them to keep using the plant’s resources to multiply.

Potato virus Y (PVY), a tiny rod-shaped particle, has quickly made its way up the list of important enemies of seed potato growers in North America in the last decade. The virus has mutated successfully over time, producing strains that vary in their severity, and with the aid of its aphid vectors, PVY has successfully spread around the world, infecting many different plants (potatoes, peppers, tomato, etc.). In a disturbing recent development, PVY strains have evolved to now infect potatoes without being seen. Even the finely-tuned eyes of an inspector—specialized in spotting the green mosaic patterns and distortions on potato leaves typically caused by PVY—are unable to diagnose infected plants. These new strains pose a threat to the effectiveness of the seed potato improvement association’s primary control tactic, which relies on detecting and removing infected plants before the virus can spread. Since there are no tools to combat the virus directly and aphids can inoculate plants faster than they can be killed with pesticides, seed potato growers face significant new challenges in continuing to produce virus-free seed.

However, nature has interesting ways of dealing with quarrels, and in the wild (where there is no farmer to take care of potato plants and propagate them from new disease-free tubers) alternative approaches are needed to allow plants to overcome virus infection. Wild potatoes have developed strong defenses that allow them to resist viruses. Potato researchers have identified several PVY resistance genes in wild relatives of potato, and now we are working hard to understand how the resistance works. Using new genetic tools and technologies, we are working to incorporate resistance into Wisconsin varieties.

Conceivably in the future, PVY will become old news. Langlade County seed growers will be able to combine virus resistance with the proven, integrated approaches that begin with a solid disease-free foundation from the elite seed farm and employ rigorous inspection and rogueing. This will allow the farmers to relax and enjoy those bluebird days of July!

Learn more about Potato virus Y and its importance to the potato industry at www.potatovirus.com.

What a fine warm start to the day. I am in the bathroom, the window is open and I can hear the frogs (or maybe toads grunting rather than croaking) down below in the small back-garden pond. A small honey bee, the first I have seen out this year crashes a couple of times into the back bedroom window.

Seed potatoes (early Arran Pilot and later Desiree and Picasso) are chitting in the downstairs loo (where else?) and the greenhouse is cleaned out and seeds sown in seed trays and pots; the onion sets started off too in the greenhouse.

Later, up on the allotment I am soon down to T-shirt. An old one to be frank that needs getting rid of but “will do for the allotment”. It was orange once, but is now truly wash-faded: still not my best colour however.

Ladybirds appear, crawling sleepily out of wherever they over-wintered. Onto the parsley, the wooden sides of the raised bed, the lid of the compost heap (still hot to the touch). One heap is ready to be emptied, used as top dressing and the sequence re-starting. There’s a riding stables not far away where they leave the stable clearings on the car park out front in plastic bags; very allotment friendly behaviour, thanks guys.

Laying more of the going-on-forever slab path (a little more confident in my own skills now, so possibly faster) I catch sight of buzzards, blue tits, a robin, hedge and house sparrows and, closer to hand, a slow-winged peacock butterfly.

A neighbour comes over to chat and he spots the spawn and the frogs in the wildlife ponds up there, close to the shed. Three frogs together, then the surface heaves as a fourth makes his (or her) presence known. The noises they make are clearly mating calls and carry long distances. Big volumes for such a small, usually unassuming critter.

I am pleased they are back, that they found the ponds.

There are lots of people up working – or chatting – today. Brought out, no doubt by the good weather. Spring is making itself known. Hedges and fruit trees budding up. Early flowers blooming.

Very pleased to bring this update to the blog, I’ve went and purchased my seed potatoes to get all ready for chitting/sprouting. Exciting stuff ahead for me and my family, I’ve got some amazing sounding and looking varieties from red to purple colouring and even some that date back several hundred years.

I’ve actually went against my original intentions which was to go with just one variety of potato that’s high in blight resistance, original plan being that the thick foliage would shade out the weeds I’m clearing/battling.

So the change of heart was on the back of me thinking it’s not worth “wasting” a year growing one variety only to find out it’s not the best taster or grows poorly in my area. That would be the least of my problems if a certain pest was prevalent this year that my particular tubers was susceptible to, end up getting hit hard when it comes to harvest.

So the plan moving forward is to have multiple varieties, all with something slightly different to offer so I can benefit from the biodiversity element. The Irish Potato Famine of 1840 left 1 million people dead, the cause was that they were mainly growing just one type of potato, called the “lumper”, a severe blight hit and virtually wiped out all crops. It might not be 1840 but there is lessons to be learn from these kind of events.

I’ve invested massively in Heritage varieties as I feel as though most modern common varieties are carried by supermarkets and farmers markets (the preferred option) so are easily accessed at a fair price. Also I might be able to do a bit of swapping with other allotment holders if I make a few friends along the way and it would be maybe handy and interesting if I have something different to offer

.

A downside is that some of these Heritage (heirloom) varieties can lack some of the modern disease and pest resistance. Their is an argument though that what they may lack in one area they can excel at in another, specifically taste I’m hoping. I had great experience growing Heritage Tomatoes last year and was blown away by taste so want to carry on the trend for my potatoes too. It may well be I get struck with the dreaded blight this year and end up next year opting for the more modern cultivars in the future but I’ll be happier for having tried. Generally speaking I do support preserving old varieties so they are not lost to history, in a changing climate variety is key I feel and one day it may be the case that a epidemic could hit and a certain old variety turns out to have previously unobserved resistance to it.

I’ve choosen organic tubers where possible and ordered from the “organic plants” store to show my support for the “Garden Organic” group, unfortunately they don’t have every variety I was looking for so had to shop elsewhere. Looked at other “organic” stores but it was the old tried and tested Thompson and Morgan that had every other variety I wanted in one place so I purchased the rest there as I felt it would be reducing the overall mileage they’ll travel.

In all honesty I was planning on buying several of my products from a local supplier Carrolls Heritage Potatoes but in all honestly it appeared much more expensive than most other places so I’ll have to enquirer more in the future about weights and tuber numbers etc but for now opted for online vendors. Next year I’ll get a large part of my tubers from the local Durham Organic growing club meetings but missed the date this year, more to follow on that though.

Anyway, I’ll be talking much more on this over the coming weeks about this so for now I’ll leave it there and give you the names of varieties I’ve chosen.

An interesting mix of people gathered to talk about to talk about farming on a small-scale. Topics ranged from pastured poultry to direct marketing to chicken breeds and potato varieties to soil microbiology to portable farming equipment.

Joel Salatin gave the keynote addresses, inspiring us with his visionary farming model. He blends permaculture, organics, pasture management and modern marketing methods a mix of new and old-world technology that results in a scalable farm. Always searching for more efficient, cheaper and more integrated systems, he showed his latest “Eggmobile” design that can be neatly folded into itself and driven down the highway. Lightweight structures on wheels create a shade-cloth canopy for pastured cows, citing the latest research which shows about 0.1 to 0.5 lbs gain in cows per day with access to shade. There is nothing more exciting that seeing how cutting edge science meets practicality in an efficient, affordable, beautiful, easily managed, portable, and eco-friendly manner. This is agro-ecological farming at its best.

The takeaways from the conference were summarized by Joel:

Theatre of Marketing: Farmers looking to direct market products excel when they can entertain consumers. However, we rarely see the importance of this quality in agriculture schools, government programs etc.

Importance of starting: Taking the first step is essential, and the first step is the hardest step.

“If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly”: No one does anything right the first time, but the trying is what matters

Collaboration: Networking, teamwork, partnerships. Create “fiefdoms,” by sharing your resources (land, equipment, CSA box, market table, freezer space, truck space) with others (neighbors, interns, family members, friends) to allow them their own niche. As a few examples: partner with a neighbor to share shipping to town drop points; partner with beekeeper to improve pollination and allow access to pollen; let interns on the farm create their own projects to sell at your market table. WOTBY (working on the business) instead of WITBY (working in the business). The payback is far greater when you spend your time planning, analyzing and improving efficiencies of the business than it is working the day-to-day chores.

Creativity and innovation leverage passion. “The world always stops to look at a burning bush”. What excites you? Invest in what you love. “Money is a cheap way to run your engine”.

Savviness of customers: Customers know more about food pathogens, soil health, food density etc. than ever before. We can leverage this by using our proactive story: soil building, healthy food, animal welfare, ecosystem maintenance etc. Use the internet to tell the story.

Local markets allow low capital entry. There was no discussion of plant diseases, pathogens, weeds etc., items typically covered at agriculture conferences. Organic and ecological methods don’t fret over these issues. And there are no big equipment sales reps either: local systems increase productivity and income per acre and create “embryonic prototypes” that shift, change and respond to the environment, climate and market. Instead of a massive cruise liner, this kind of farming is more like a speedboat that deftly and quickly turns and maneuvers.

A lot of opportunities in this area: There are endless examples of farming opportunities on the small scale. An example is a therapy farm that “sells caregiving and grows food”.

Strength and power of multigenerational operations: “Tribes develop wealth by leveraging wealth with youthful energy.” The older generation has wisdom and experience, but the younger generation has the energy and enthusiasm (not to mention the flexible spine!). The older generation can relive their youth through the bodies of young partners. These youth are appreciable assets!

Other speakers at the conference included local farmers that shared their success (and not so successful!) stories:

– John Mills of Eagle Creek Farms: His father runs a seed potato business in Bowden, and John runs a 500 member vegetable CSA. He spoke of his direct marketing techniques, emphasizing the importance of customer relations that comes with direct marketing. The CSA model affords him some insurance against disastrous weather, as customers pay up front. As long as customers are aware of how the model works, and are regularly updated with newsletters about the progress, they are generally content with the model. He also spoke passionately (and theatrically!) about his love of potato varieties.

– Daniel Chapelle of Country Tyme Farm: Farms next to John, and partners to supply poultry (heritage breeds of duck, chicken and their eggs) and heritage grain to the CSA. Daniel is well-versed in the breeds of chickens and ducks, and is a staunch advocate of heritage breeds, as the more modern breeds are not adapted to our regional climate or pasture-farming conditions. He uses the Chanteclaire chicken that was bred in Quebec and is the only Canadian-bred chicken (Canadian here meaning cold-tolerant!)

– Rick Kohut of Kohut Farm: Grows sweetcorn in the cold climate (but excellent soil) of Didsbury using black plastic mulch. The cold nights give the ripening corn added sweetness. Local food is the first concern for customers (organic is second, followed by GMO-free). He has come up with some creative marketing ideas (eg: selling small corn typically unsaleable as “baby corn; travels around doing corn boils with his “corn hut”). He uses compost tea made from worm casting on the growing corn.

– Doug Weatherbee the Soil Doctor: Doug gave a rousing talk on how soil microbes are affected by disturbance (tillage, synthetic fertilizer, pesticides) and how to recover microbial populations using management and compost. Doug explained the difference between a bacterial-dominated soil (high levels of available nitrogen, characteristic of an early-succession ecosystem) and fungal-dominated soil (where there is an abundance of more complex carbon molecules that fungi feed on, indicative of a more advanced stage of succession). Highly disturbed soils (high-tillage or high inputs) favour bacterial-soils, as the availability of nutrients for bacteria dominate, and fungi are disadvantaged. Obviously this is a topic of interest for this crowd, as he was swarmed by a curious crowd immediately after his talk, and pretty much until the end of the conference!

– I missed some other talks that were very-well received: Tim Hoven of Hoven Farms, an organic livestock grower, spoke of meat processing and government regulations, obviously an area of great interest for small farmers. Livestock, particularly small livestock, can be a significant source of income for small farmers, and government regulations make it very difficult (if not impossible) to make processing available and affordable. Farms are being shut down by governments across Canada because they do not conform to the strict regulations that are placed on them. Processors have closed across the country, and shipping distances and processing costs make meat processing incredibly difficult for small farmers.

]]>https://liontamar.wordpress.com/2013/09/04/garden-love/
Wed, 04 Sep 2013 04:25:23 +0000liontamarhttps://liontamar.wordpress.com/2013/09/04/garden-love/I’ve made an interesting observation about gardeners; that they are always wanting to share their produce with an abundance of enthusiasm. Does gardening make one generous? I think that when you partake in gardening that it connects you to the earth and also for me, it connects me to a facet of God’s love. Gardening is like art, there is something abundant about the nature of such activities and withholding seems such a ludicrous thing to do.

I have found that gardening is better shared. When I reflect back at my experience as a lone gardener I got discouraged very quickly and found myself not enjoying the process any more. Today I am not alone. Although I am not on an eco-village in a straw-bail house (which was the original dream), I am in the middle of suburbia with a strong connection to my local community garden. I can’t express how awesome that makes me feel right now!!!!

The best part of putting this garden together today is, how nothing cost me a cent. Last time I bought everything. I was able to obtain the seed potato’s from the community garden and the newspaper, compost and mulch were all in my back yard waiting to be used.

The rocks were also obtained from my back yard. I love how I have spent nothing.

I want to live simply and enjoy the abundance that God has for me………I think I can say that I’m living the dream right now :)

]]>https://bigbloomhydro.com/2013/05/09/growing-potatoes/
Thu, 09 May 2013 15:34:28 +0000bigbloomhydrohttps://bigbloomhydro.com/2013/05/09/growing-potatoes/Growing potatoes can be super fun and easy, plus, there are so many interesting varieties to try. You’ll want to either order seed potatoes from a trusted company or get them from your local nursery. I never recommend starting potatoes that you get from the grocery store – you never know what could have been sprayed on these in order to inhibit sprouting.

Timing is everything when it comes to growing potatoes. They don’t do well when temperatures reach into the 90’s, so make sure you get them into the ground early enough or choose different varieties that mature faster, such as the Red Norland or Yukon Gold. Full potato plants can actually keel over and die if temperatures get to high. Plus, the high temps can limit the amount of tuber growth, resulting in low yields. I generally try to get potatoes in the ground about two to three weeks before the last frost, this ensures enough growing time. Another trick to speeding up the process is to let your potatoes sit in a bright window for a couple of days to a week to get it to sprout.

I usually grow potatoes directly in the ground, but there are multiple ways that you can grow potatoes, like in barrels, with straw or in containers. Potatoes prefer a slightly lower pH than most other vegetable crops, around 5.5, and they prefer slightly acidic soils. Potatoes will benefit with the addition of compost and other organic fertilizers that are high in nitrogen, such as alfalfa meal. Two days before I am ready to plant I’ll cut the potato into pieces – try to leave one to two eyes or buds on each piece. Cutting them ahead of time allows the cut to dry and lessen the chance of them rotting in the ground. After they have dried and are ready to plant, they go into the ground about 12 inches apart and in shallow trenches about 4 inches deep.

When potatoes start to sprout, make sure to water regularly. As they grow you’ll want to start hilling. When plants are about 6 to 7 inches tall, pile loose soil around the plant. This will not only cover the root, but it will help to support plants. You will need to continually hill around plants as they grow. Hilling also helps to prevent tubers from turning green. When the tops of the plants (or the foliage) starts to die off, you’ll know it’s harvest time. But don’t dig them up just yet. Leave potatoes in the ground until the foliage has had a chance to completely die down. The extra time underground helps the potatoes skin to toughen. When it’s finally time to harvest, I usually just dig the potatoes up with my had, that way i don’t damage any with the shovel.

Any potatoes that are really small, slightly damaged or have skin that is peeling should be used quickly because they won’t store well. Potatoes that are green can be saved for seed, but I don’t recommend eating them. If you have enough to store, make sure they have dried out completely, then you will want to store them in a very cool area with high humidity, and generally in the dark.

PESTS & DISEASES:

Colorado Potato Beetle like to munch on the foliage of plants. The adults are yellow with black stripes, and the larvae are dark red/orange with black spots. If you see any of these – CRUSH THEM. Also, check bottoms of leaves for bright orange egg masses – get rid of any that you see. Aphids are also known to bother potato plants. If you see these little guys either use your garden hose and spray them off or use an insecticidal spray, such as neem oil.

Rotating your crop each year will help keep diseases out of your garden. Also starting with certified seed potatoes will lessen the risk of disease. Scab is a common disease that affects potatoes. Scab is caused from a fungus in the soil, keeping the soil pH below 5.5 will help. Late blight is caused from water mould and can destroy whole plants. Late blight acts fast and can destroy whole crops. Get rid of and destroy any infected foliage right away. If your crop is badly infected, cut and remove all foliage, but try to wait a couple of weeks before you dig up the potatoes. By this time, infected blight spores below will have died off.

Have questions or want to trade spuds? Stop down at Big Bloom Hydroponics in Tonawanda, New York. We’re here seven days a week and just minutes from the border. Happy Growing!

If you garden with primary school children you can register for free seed potatoes from the Potato Council.

It’s too late for this year but you can be uber-organised and register now for 2014 :)

]]>https://darkstarfarm.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/gardening-how-we-can/
Fri, 16 Nov 2012 02:45:44 +0000linzie2https://darkstarfarm.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/gardening-how-we-can/It seemed to make sense to me that once we moved into the new house, we could get started on all those other things we loved to do. Hmmm. Seems this moving and settling takes much more than I had originally thought.
So, we’ve been doing what we can. I planted seed potatoes in 5 gallon buckets….easy to harvest, just dump out! But I planted them too late and ended up with just a few tiny ones.
I went ahead and replanted those tiny potatoes into our newest raised beds. We have two full beds and one bed that is collecting all of our paper waste and kitchen scraps. Experience has shown us that this will make for an amazing planting medium in a year or two!

Garlic fills the other beds. I still have more that I had set aside to plant, but there is no room. It will easily be eaten by the next harvest anyway…at least 2 cloves go in each hearty winter dish around here!

And last but not least, window herbs. A tiny bit of parsely and basil. Enough to make me feel as though my thumb is still green-ish.

]]>https://lauraabest.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/a-little-out-of-the-ordinary/
Wed, 14 Nov 2012 12:00:22 +0000Laura Besthttps://lauraabest.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/a-little-out-of-the-ordinary/https://thetownhousehomesteaders.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/growing-potatoes-in-a-barrel-half/
Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:34:35 +0000The Townhouse Homesteadershttps://thetownhousehomesteaders.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/growing-potatoes-in-a-barrel-half/Many of our readers know that living under the thumb of our homeowner’s association is something Jon and I struggle with on a daily basis. I am never short of amazed at some of the rules and regulations that these folks set upon us. It seems to be the way of these associations in our area. Recently, a family in a nearby townhome community had to give up a seeing-eye puppy they were fostering because it violated the terms of their homeowner’s association bylaws. No kidding.

So, every year, our board walks around to check that everyone’s back patio is compliant. And every year, we get a letter explaining why we are not in compliance. Once we didn’t ask permission to mulch and they considered that landscaping. Big no, no. The next year we were cited because we hadn’t weeded yet. In fairness, we hadn’t. But that was the year I was pregnant and when my water broke 3 months early and I was on bed rest in the hospital for 3 weeks, weeding just wasn’t on my mind. They’ll be coming around on Wednesday, so today Jon and began our patio’s annual spring transformation. And, by golly, we are following all the rules because I’m sick of getting letters!

A couple of years ago, I found an entry on Heavenly Homemakers about growing potatoes in a garbage can. Really! How awesome is that? But we are not allowed to keep a garbage can on our patio, regardless of its contents. But we can keep a big ½ barrel on my patio…

Yesterday, we purchased this beauty and 3 more just like it.

First we drilled ¼ inch holes in the bottom for drainage.

Next, we filled the bottom with about 5 inches of soil and added some water to make it moist.

In go the seed potatoes…

I just have to share a picture of these aliens close up.

Then we covered the seed potatoes with about 3 inches of soil and then watered them.

Now we wait. I’ll keep you posted.

Happy Homesteading,

Kris

]]>https://bountifulbackyard.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/potato-present/
Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:31:44 +0000bountifulbackyardhttps://bountifulbackyard.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/potato-present/Over the weekend at our local farmers market I talked to a vendor who makes and sells potato growing kits, among other things. She told me that due to San Diego’s weather, you can really plant potatoes even now, as long as they don’t get too wet with a series of storms. She showed me her sample burlap bag with 3 week old potatoes growing up, beautiful green leaves and all. She didn’t have enough seed potatoes for me that day, so she agreed to bring more this weekend and sell me some. They are certified organic and she buys them from www.groworganic.com.

Today as I’m perusing the pantry for a nibble, I notice that my organic yukon potatoes that I bought a few weeks back to make mashed potatoes out of are sprouting! Cool! They are large, so I cut 2 in half, making sure to include at least two eyes on each piece. This will be one type of potatoes that I attempt to grow and then I will return this weekend to the farmers market to buy the All Blue variety for my other fabric grow pot.

First put 4-6 inches of organic soil in your pot. Then place potatoes (if cut, then cut side down) on top of the soil. Some say to wait a day after cutting to allow the potatoes to scab over, but I’ve read that this isn’t necessary. As long as the potatoes stay damp and not wet, they will grow just fine.

Put another couple inches of soil on top of the potatoes, a little less in the colder climates. At this point my grow pots are only about half way filled with soil, which is perfect because once those leaves emerge, I will continue adding soil in stages. More on that when it happens! Since the grow pots are fabric and only filled halfway, the sides were flopping all around. To allow the most amount of sun to the potatoes, I rolled the sides inward all the way around the pot.